Off to a great start

Led by senior Cody Jamieson, who had four goals and one assist on the night, the Orange controlled the game and scored at will on Princeton. The Tigers played a cautious defensive game and it cost them, as shooting lanes opened up regularly and Syracuse was able to capitalize on nearly every opportunity.

“It was a mix of offensive execution and being in the right place at the right time,” Jamieson said. “We had a lot of fast breaks and they gave us a lot of open looks.”

Photo: Noah K. Murray | The Star Ledger

Midfielder Jovan Miller (23) looks to pass against Princeton defender Alex Carpretta (1) during the Big City Classic at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Orange had three players with multi-goal performances. Freshman JoJo Marasco had three goals and sophomore Tim Desko added two.

Syracuse had several highlight-reel goals, but none were better than Desko’s. Taking a page from Cody Jamieson's book, Tim sent a shot between his legs and past Princeton goalie Tyler Fiorito with his back to the goal and a Princeton defender right on him.

“It’s always fun to see one of your teammates get a pretty goal,” Jamieson said.

Head coach John Desko, Tim’s father, was less amused.

“I just kind of looked and said, ‘You better hope it’s in the back of the net,’” the coach said.

The Orange took care of things on the defensive end as well. Junior goalie John Galloway put on a stellar performance, turning away 11 of the 12 shots that he faced. Backup senior goalie Al Cavalieri allowed the other three goals. Cavalieri played 10 minutes and 20 seconds, as Coach Desko rested Galloway once the Orange had a commanding lead.

“The ball looked like a beach ball today,” Galloway said.  “It was nice.”

Syracuse dominated ball control for most of the game and led in almost all statistical categories. They outshot Princeton 38 to 30, picked up 37 ground balls to Princeton’s 27, and won 10 faceoffs to Princeton’s eight.

“When they have the ball they are dangerous,” said Princeton head coach Chris Bates. “You can’t expect to play that much defense and come out with a win.”

Bates was frustrated with the way that his team performed when they did have the ball, and wanted more second shot opportunities against the Orange.

“We took some low percentage shots and didn’t get any kind of rhythm going offensively,” Bates said. “We were one-and-done and with a good goalie and a solid defense. That’s not going to cut it.”

The Orange beat up on Princeton goalie Tyler Fiorito, scoring in a myriad of ways.  Marasco scored two of his goals after running out from behind the net, junior Jovan Miller jumped and rifled an overhand bullet that found the top corner, and junior Jeremy Thompson scored from about 15 feet out on a rocket of a shot.

“Syracuse played really well today,” Fiorito said. “They shot the ball really well and we just kind of didn’t rise to the occasion.”

Syracuse was still sore from last year’s 12-8 loss to Princeton, and Galloway said still has the articles written about the game. The Orange got their revenge in New Jersey, proving that they deserve their No. 3 ranking in the country with the convincing win over No. 4 Princeton.  

“I thought we played 60 minutes of lacrosse tonight,” John Desko said. “And I’m pretty happy with the performance.”

Midfielder Joe Coulter (26) defends against Scott Mackenzie of Princeton during the Big City Classic.        (PHOTO: Noah K. Murray | The Star Ledger)

Photos courtesy of The Star Ledger. Check out more photos from the Big City Classic.

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